To the Stars! is the fruit of a unique collaboration between Nigel Hess and the children of several Bedfordshire schools who were asked to contribute ideas for a libretto based on the themes of space travel and exploration. The work was performed during a concert at the Royal Albert Hall showcasing the work of Bedfordshire County Music Services. The combination of children’s choir and symphonic wind band proves unusual but wonderfully exciting, and To the Stars! is designed, above all, as huge fun for both band and choir, while also being technically demanding and challenging. After a rousing introduction, we hear a countdown to our rocket’s ‘blast off’, and suddenly we are heading out to the planets where we meet aliens with blue eyes and pink ears! After a brief but terrifying skirmish with a black hole we head off to a ‘world of many wonders’, and as we leave our solar system behind, the piece finishes with a spectacular shout of ‘Fly with us - to the stars!’.